OP/ED
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Ernest H. Pitt
Elaine Pitt
T. Kevin Walker
Publisher/Co-Founder
Business Manager
Managing Editor
File Photo
The late Larry Leon Hamlin, NBTF and Black Rep founder.
Plays First;
Parties Later
Theatre has always been considered highbrow. For many, its mere mention still
conjures images of women in white gloves and men in top hats dropping in for a
matinee.
One of Larry Leon Hamlin's goals was to change that image by creating theatre
that all could relate to and productions that reflect all. Few of us in these parts had
seen real, professional theatre (church plays not included, sorry) before Hamlin
started his N.C. Black Repertory Company in the late 1970s.
And few folks outside of New York City have the opportunity to see the caliber
of theatre that is presented during the National Black Theatre Festival, which
Hamlin founded in 1989. The level of talent and artistry that will be in this city
next week, July 29-Aug. 3, is simply mind-blowing.
Tony Award winning divas Lillas White and Tonya Pinkins will be in action.
The velvet-voiced White will play blues legend Mabel Smith in the bio-musical
"Big Maybelle," while Pinkins, recently named one of "Broadway's 25 Greatest
Divas of AU-Time," will present the cabaret-style "Tonya Pinkins Unplugged."
Familiar faces from television and film will appear in many of the productions -
Kim Coles ("Oh, But Wait... There's More"), Debbi Morgan ("The Monkey on My
Back!") and Ralph Harris ("MANish Boy") among them - but the rising stars, per
formers who are generating buzz around the nation and beyond, may be the ones to
watch. They include Timothy Simonson, who plays Adam Clayton Powell Jr. in
"Adam;" Joseph "Joe P" Palmore, who plays the lead role in the riveting "The
Ballard of Emmett Till;" Chapel Hill resident Anita Woodley, whose breast cancer
themed "Mama Juggs" is dedicated to her late mother; and the cast of Canadian
men who star in Darren Anthony's "Secrets of a Black Boy."
In short, if you spend Festival week merely walking through downtown or
hanging out in the lobby of the Marriott, you are truly not opening the amazing gift
that Hamlin gave us. Festival week makes our city electric, and we all love the pos
itive energy it brings every two years, but let's not lose our focus. The NBTT is
about the celebration of black culture through the timeless art form of theatre. The
best way to celebrate that is by sitting in a venue and watching the magic on stage
once the lights go down.
So next week, go to a play or musical, some of which cost as little as $15,
before you head downtown to hang-out. That way, you will truly have something
to talk about to the old and new friends that you will surely run in to.
The performers coming to the Festival are far too talented to play to have
empty-venues, and, most importantly, tflr. Hamlin worked far too hard to bring pro
fessional theatre to our backyard for us to sleep on this.
Tickets will be available during festival week at the Benton Convention Center
and at performance venues before shows, if they are still available. Learn more
about this year's offerings at NBTF.org or in special insert in this week's
Chronicle.
Blacks are 'the Others'
Bill
Fletcher
Guest
Columnist
I was told a story the
other night. Apparently on
the evening of the
Zimmerman acquittal, in a
bar in South Carolina, a
group of White patrons
were talking. Some of
them, upon hearing the
news, shouted "Free at
Last!" in celebration of the
decision. One person,
however, a White labor
union activist, decided that
this was not his gathering,
and left in disgust.
The responses to the
acquittal have told us a
great deal about the USA.
The bottom line is that
many people who knew or
know nothing about who
Trayvon Martin was have
concluded that he was a
demon and deserved death.
I realize that this is a very
blunt comment but I
believe that it is important
to cut to the chase. These
individuals have decided
that aggression against a
Black youth who looks
"suspicious" (whatever that
means) can be raised to the
level of death and actually
justified.
But here is the other
piece. There have been
Whites and some Blacks
who have argued that we
should not be so upset
about the Zimmerman ver
dict when there are so
many examples of Blacks
killing Blacks that go with
out comment. In other
words, we are hypocritical
for protesting the
Zimmerman acquittal.
This notion actually misses
a larger point.
The acquittal of
Zimmerman is linked to a
steady shift in the racial
relations that we have
experienced since the late
1970s. The erosion of affir
mative action, voting rights
and unstoppable police
profiling and brutality, are
all reflections of this
change. The Zimmerman
acquittal is a reminder that
we have rights that are not
worthy of respect, even
though those same rights
are on the books.
None of this means that
Black-on-Black crime is of
no or little importance.
Black-on-Black crime
destabilizes our communi
ties and is a reflection of
the continued economic
and social ravaging we
have experienced over the
years. The fact that this
crime is frequently ignored
or treated as inevitable
leads to despair. As a
result, our ability or capac
ity to respond to larger
issues is undermined.
Thus, we should not be
posing the Trayvon Martin
case against Black-on
Black crime. They both
need to be addressed, but
the Zimmerman acquittal
speaks to a very dangerous
trend in the larger U.S.
society that we can ignore
only at our peril. This trend
suggests, once again, that
we have remained the
"other" that is, a segment
of the population that is
considered by too many
Whites to be unknowable
and dangerous; a segment
whose lives and experi
ences are not worthy of any
particular investigation and
concern. A segment that
must be marginalized or, if
we appear out of the dark,
swatted away, as one would
do with an annoying pest.
This is a time for reflec
tion, as President Obama
suggested, but a different
sort of reflection. One that
really takes us into an in
depth understanding of the
continued operation of race
in all features of U.S. soci
ety. Yes, that discussion
again...
Bill Fletcher, Jr. is a
senior scholar with the
Institute for Policy Studies,
a columnist with The
Progressive, the immediate
past president of
TrcmsAfrica Forum and the
author of "They're
Bankrupting Us - And
Twenty Other Myths about
Unions." Follow him on
Facebook and www.bill
fletcherjr.com.
Election
from page A1
bring folks together and to
work with them very hard
to articulate the concerns
of minorities," she said. "I
have always been commit
ted and dedicated to serv
ing the people. Maybe
some people don't like it,
but I've done every step of
it with God in front, and
all I want to do is just lis
ten and work with peo
ple."
The veteran politician
dismissed the criticism of
some, who say she has
allowed her tenure to drag
on too long.
"I've always said with
any position, it's out there
and it's how the people
speak," she said. "If they
want someone else to have
a term, then we will know
... after the polls close."
Burke will face oppo
sition in the Democratic
primary from Jemmise
Bowen and Brenda Diggs,
and Republican Michael
Owens awaits her in
November if she is victori
ous.
Bowen, a city native
and North Carolina A&T
State University alumna,
said building stronger ties
among community mem
bers by establishing new
neighborhood watches and
associations and other ini
tiatives that would encour
age community interac
tion would be among her
priorities as a Council
member. Property values
arc determined in part
based on societal factors
such as test scores and
graduation rates at local
schools and proximity to
amenities such as shop
ping, Bowen said. If elect
ed, Bowen, a member of
the Democratic Women
and the Senior Democrats,
said she would work to
establish a collaborative of
residents in the ward who
would use their skills and
expertise to improve con
ditions in their communi
ties.
"I just want to literally
make a Northeast Ward
collaborative in which we
would all work together,"
said Bowen, a shelter
monitor for the Salvation
Army. "...I think it's
going to take the entire
ward committing to the
ward. I think that the peo
ple of the Northeast Ward
have to be willing to work
-1 know I am."
Bowen, 43, said she
would also work to help
the city diversify its cor
porate and business offer
ings, in an effort to attract
more residents to the city
and retain a larger percent
age of college students
after graduation.
"We have to find a way
to keep the city active and
moving and I just think if
we had different types of
industry, we could bring
more people to the city,"
she said. "I don't dislike
what they've done, it's just
let's do more, let's try
something different, let's
think outside the box."
Owens, a former IT
professional, believes his
leadership would be a
breath of fresh air for the
ward.
"To be perfectly hon
est, the incumbent in this
race has been on the City
Council since 1977," said
the 37 year-old. "1 don't
know how many of her
constituents were even
alive when she was elect
ed, but for me, that's a
problem. I'm a big propo
nent of term limits at
every level of government,
including the city.
Although I don't know
Vivian Burke ... I think 35
years is long enough. I'd
like to be the one who
makes that change."
If elected, Owens said
he would fight for pay
increases for the city's fire
fighters and police offi
cers, who he says receive
12 and 13 percent less pay,
respectively, than their
counterparts in compara
ble North Carolina cities.
"I think those men and
women deserve more,"
stated Owens, who had a
failed run for the District
12 U.S. House seat in
2012. "...Public safety, I
think, is a priority for
everyone, and I think if
we're able to pay those
men and women more,
they might be willing to
stick around."
Democrat Bill Tatum
will challenge incumbent
James Taylor in the
Southeast Ward. Tatum, a
former president of the
local NAACP chapter and
retired member of the
city's Housing and
Neighborhood Services
Division staff, believes his
experience as a former
civil rights leader and city
employee will serve him
well on the Council.
"Essentially, 1 feel that
i can provide
some experi
ence in govern
ment in the way
of revitalization
and economic
development of
this area where
we will be look
ing at bringing
corporations
and businesses
to the communi
ty to allow for
more jobs," said
Tatum, who
moved to
Winston-Salem
from' his native
High Point as an
infant. "...On
the other side of
town, business
es are building
and we don't
see the grand
finale in the
Southeast
Ward."
A father and
grandfather who
ran for the
Forsyth County
Board of
Education and
for county Soil
and Water
Conservation
District
Supervisor in
the mid 1980s,
Tatum said the
ward "needs a
stronger voice."
If elected,
Tatum said he
would fight to
ensure that all
city employees
who pursue
higher educa
tion will receive
pay increases, push for a
stronger emphasis on
vocational and technical
degrees that could help
citizens quickly obtain
employment, and implore
local employers to exer
cise leniency in hiring
folks with criminal
records or bad credit.
In an non presidential
election year, Tatum, who
has served on the
Downtown Health Plaza
Advisory Board and Rural
Initiative Preservation Inc.
Board of Directors, says
getting out the vote will be
his greatest challenge as a
candidate.
"I'm getting a lot of
feedback from people
that's elated to see me in
the race." stated the 63
year-old. "Of course,
you've got to do like
everybody else - you've
got to get out there and get
people to the polls."
Republican Mike
Hunger will face the
Democrat who wins the
Southeast Ward primary
in the Nov. 5 general elec
tion. Hunger, a National
Property Inspections
employee, could not be
reached for comment on
Tuesday.
Phillip Carter, a
Democrat and longtime
community activist, is
challenging City Council
member and fellow Dem
Derwin Montgomery for
his East Ward seat, as is
Joycelyn Johnson, whom
Montgomery upset four
years ago. If elected.
Carter, who was reared in
the now defunct Happy
Hill Gardens community,
said he would work to
help members of the East
Ward empower them
selves, and to leverage the
collective support of the
city as a whole to help
boost the progress of the
ward.
"I believe that the
pathway for economic
sustainability and stimulus
is in the community still -
building job training and
education programs with
in the community - 1
believe that that will cur
tail many of the issues that
are plaguing the East
Ward," he stated. "...It
takes our city leaders, it
takes our educators, it
takes our business and job
providers, and
most of all, the
community
members them
selves."
Carter tout
ed his extensive
community
service efforts,
which include
stints on the
Boards of
Directors for
HARRY
Veterans
Community
Outreach
Services,
Neighbors for
Better
Neighborhoods
and on the
Operation
Impact and
Forsyth County
Nursing Home
Community
advisory com
mittees, in
addition to
holding a vari
ety of positions
and roles in the
local
Democratic
party
"I've got 13
years of com
m u n i t y
activism," said
the 54 year-old.
"...I've been on
the ground for
years. rve
walked and
talked and
worked among
the people in
many different
capacities."
Carter, who
ran for the
North Ward seat in 2009.
believes he has what it
takes to successfully lead
the ward.
"I'm not seeking to
talk about personalities,
but more so principles and
issues and the future." he
remarked. "I'm looking
towards the year 2017 as it
relates to the East Ward.
With my vision, it should
tum around economically,
there should be a turn
around as it relates to
crime, and there should be
a turnaround as it relates
to personal income."
No Republicans regis
tered to run in the ward.
In all, 28 people have
Filed for City Council
seats this time around.
Republican James Lee
Knox and Democrat
Gardenia Henley will run
against Mayor Allen
Joines, a Democrat.
Democrats Jeff
Macintosh, Noah
Reynolds and Laura Elliot
will face off in the
Northwest Ward primary
in hopes of winning the
chance to face Republican
Lida Hayes Calvert in the
general election. South
Ward incumbent Molly
Leight, a Democrat, will
face opposition from
Democrat Carolyn
Highsmith and
Republican Nathan Jones.
West Ward incumbent
Robert Clark will face pri
mary opposition from fel
low Republicans Howard
Hudson and Andrew
Johnson.
Early voting begins
Aug. 22 at the Forsyth
County Board o)
Elections. The primary
will be held on Tuesday,
Sept. 10.
Carter
Owens
Elliott
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